Steven's 25cm German Heavy Mortar position 1/35 CMK

[Brad9826]

Looking good Steven, all coming together.

 

[colin m]

Looking great. that lamp really is quite effective.

 

[Peter Gillson]

Catching up on this project, looking good - like the sandbags.

 

[Steve Jones]

Terrific work on the sandbags Steven. Although all your time is being spent on the dio have you had a chance to start on the mortar yet??

 

[Steven]

Thanks Steve - no not yet but i have put it in in its basic components just to get at feel for the size and check everything

 

[Steven]

Have limited computer access at the moment so jumping at the opportunity to post some more updates

more sandbag with a box for storing grenades - will be well stocked at the finish

Armored loophole - have more sandbags now

The ironband and staples are going on - wip

Details we will be seeing very little of in the finished dio: Iron T- beams reinforcing the roof

For the roof I am working loosely from a schematic drawing of a mortar position in Dr. Stephen Bull's Trench
( No copyright Infringement intended picture is purely for illustration)

IRL at this late stage in the War the Roof would be a sandwich construction of earth, timber, gravel, concrete, and Iron Beams.
Only the parts of the timber and the iron beams will be shown.

 

[Deleted member 5819]

Hi Steven Terrific work all round, the sandbags what are using to make the and how there brilliant
Pete.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Steven
Beautifully done. Love how all the details are coming together.
Jim

 

[Brad9826]

Steven, have you got a contract with defra, and the ea they usually need sandbags now and again, … has anyone seen my miliput, it was here a minute ago.. Steven...

Great stuff and scratchery detailing buddy..

 

[Steven]

Thanks guys for the comments - they help keeping up my spirits while I am up against a merciless deadline if I want to enter this into Danish Open 2018 alongside the combi - shadowbox dio - the 16th of September.....

 

[Steven]

Steven, have you got a contract with defra, and the ea they usually need sandbags now and again, … has anyone seen my miliput, it was here a minute ago.. Steven...

Great stuff and scratchery detailing buddy..

 

[Steven]

staying with the sandbags - parados done, glued XPS to create terrain profile and to save material

here in various stages of painting (mix of panzer Aces light mud and Vallejo Iraqi sand) - a bit on the gray side, will be more yellow

The pit
I have painted the inside of the pit - try as I may, all the the methods for turning evergreen into "wood" I use always end up looking like the furniture of a 16th Cent. castle... ah well, not much of it will be seen and will be full of muddy footprints.

 

[scottie3158]

Superb work

 

[JR]

Steven .
Don't think this could be any better. That light is suberb , pity as you say its a bit cool in the output colour, but your idea should work to alter that .
That wood in the last photos is great, don't change it !
Hope you manage to finish in time and good luck .
John.

 

[colin m]

You've turned plastic into wood very successfully in my opinion. All looks great.

 

[Steven]

Gents, thanks for your comments finally found some time to post
Trench:
The sandbags have received a wash of raw umber

The pit: - With the star of the show - a Right dramaqueen - in place andnearly done

view of the pit with the principal accessories in place in various stages of completion

The Hun has nicked an old weathered table form somewhere - will be used for maps and there will be some aerial recon photos on the wall above
Table has been painted and chipped using chipping medium - and yes, the lantern is missing - more on that at a later stage....

(One of the wheels is still on the spure)

Shells - half and full load- two are still in their wicker transport baskets. Like everything else in the kit they are really nicely moulded. I tried to cast the shells to make more - I wanted to have some standing outside the entrance, but I
Completely budged it, so the ones included in the set will have to do

A close - up pf the beast - a pain to build but worth it....

 

[JR]

Great , Steven it has every thing. Pity about the shells, but looking at the layout anymore may crowd it out. Waiting to see the beast painted!
John
What's with the light ?
John

 

[Steve Jones]

One of my favourite builds on the go at the moment. I really do enjoy your updates. Keep up the great work

 

[Steven]

Thanks Gents - Glad to be able to share my toils and troubles with this build.
Speaking of troubles:

Lantern - troubles (*que dramatic intro*)
I was generally very pleased with the led diode from lights4models, only drawback form my perspective wiring it into a leg of a table was that the resistor was scolded pretty close to the base of the diode. as I had to cut the wires (resistor was too big to thread through the leg) I had to resolder them. Now, I am not the best of soldering - honestly I do not even qualify to be amongst the worse... My fiddling and many attempts at soldering the very thin wire I thought might have overheated the diode. I initially thought it was the resistor but it did not work with a new one either.
I had a spare from lights4models. I found that I could use it without cutting the wire, I tested it - it worked, then it explicitly stopped working and was adamant in remaining so...

Key take - away:
The very thin wiring is a hassle for an inexperienced solder - in the lights4odels ones the wiring is a solid metal rod rather than copper threads, meaning that it can be bend into - and will hold - any position but it is very prone to breakage - especially when the coating is removed

So, Nothing was fixed permanently, and I had some flickering led (3mm) from a danish company. I bought them after seeing a clip on facebook, I wired them up did the soldering and they worked the treat - only problem is the light colour. They were termed "orange" - the movie clip showed them to be a very yellow hue which is what I was after.
The light - even after I wrapped it in two layers of yellow filter is still very - orange - more akin to ambers in a bonfire than the flame of a candle

I tried to put filter film onthe glass of the lantern as well to no awail - still very orange.

See for yourselves:

I have ordered some new ones but they won't be here until between the 7th and 12th and bearing in mind that the deadline if I want to enter this into competition that bleeding lantern it is a spanner in the works.... but come hell or high water there will be a flickering light in my pit - dammit...

 

[JR]

Steven.
Yes I can see your problem, just needs more yellow. Such a shame the first led failed.
Hope you get a replacement in time as that light was a real show stopper.
John.